Thursday, May 5, 2016

Rejection Is A Lie from the Enemy

     Going through elementary and well into middle school, I dealt with a lot of rejection. I wore glasses. I had hearing aids. I smelled like cigarette smoke. I was this; I was that. In the midst of it all, I felt the only way to overcome this time in my life was to become somebody I wasn't. I would act a certain way to get people's attention; manipulate people into feeling bad for me therefore letting me get my way. I played the system when it came to people.
     Very recently, the ugly face of rejection showed up in my life again. Although I don't want to talk about the situation, I was reminded how easy it is for me to give in to rejection. For example, I used to feel instantly rejected when I saw pictures of my friends out and about having fun, yet I had never received an invite. I used to feel rejected when people would completely skip over me to ask someone else to complete a task. I used to feel rejected when someone would get promoted before me, although I had been there twice as long as they have.
     Rejection is a lie from the enemy. It's an easy way for the enemy to let us know that we'll never amount to anything. Rejection is my worst enemy. My whole life I always wanted to know my life was worth something, and many times, I tried to find that worth in people, materialistic things, and habitual lust. I always came out empty.
     Recently, I started reading "Battlefield of the Mind" by Joyce Meyer. In reading it, I felt instantly convicted in letting rejection have the best of my days. Joyce emphasizes many times to choose to think positive thoughts about every situation. Instead of feeling bad for yourself or feeling rejected, think about all of the experiences in your life where you've been celebrated, loved, and lifted up. In my own life, I shouldn't look at a picture of my friends having fun without me, and feel left out; I should think about the time my friends threw a "just because" party to honor me. I shouldn't focus on that co-worker getting a promotion; I should focus on the blessing of having a job.
     Let me encourage you if rejection is something you're currently dealing with. I don't want to sound too religious or cliché when I say this, but - ultimately - when it is all said and done, Jesus is all you'll ever need. People cannot define you. Materialistic things cannot find you. Habitual sin, though may be a temporary fix, cannot define you. You are who Jesus says you are; and He says you're His own.